Yoked up Together
The Bible talks often about being “Yoked Up,” some are good, and some are bad, and then in the New Testament, this concept is connected to us Humans, and talks about our relationship with each other, and also of a “Spiritual Relationship” with our God. There was a study completed a while back and they measured the pulling power of an Ox, and found that it could consistently pull something like 1000lb, so they assumed a pair of Oxen should pull 2000lb. Then they got quite a shock, when a pair of Oxen actually consistently pulled 8000lb. When you look at Top competition Ox Sled Pulling, a Yoke of Oxen have broken resistance and moved a stone plate sled loaded down with 14,100lb or 6395kg. It is only for a couple of feet, but that is an enormous effort for two bullocks. Draught horse pulling for a pair were able to move the sled loaded with 18,000lb or 8164kg fully loaded, way more than a single horse ever could, so what can you move when you chose to be Yoked up with Jesus Christ.
An old farmer had a pair of old draft horses, a girl called Floss and a boy called Duke. Duke was a lazy boy, he would pull equally for a bit, and then get lazy and ease off, which made things difficult for Floss, for as she then moved ahead a wee bit, this then made the swingletree pivot back on Duke, trapping him against the central pole crushing him, sometimes he responded and matched her stride, but sometimes Floss just had to be reigned back to keep the pulling even, with some careful control of the reins by the farmer, and the rows became straight again as they pulled once more evenly together. When mowing with the 6 foot horse drawn mower, or pulling the harrows, especially the ripper harrows, trying to get unity was a very testing and trying time. Lazy Duke one night passed away, so Floss was used on her own in the sledge for feeding out hay, and in spite of being blinded one night when struck by lightning, she did enjoy pulling the sled, though you had to talk and reassure her lots, and steer for her as her eyesight was minimal.
2 Corinthians 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” We all have been in places of Employment where some work, while others shirk and do the absolute minimum, or even worse, dump their whole workload onto others, so that they can strut around looking most important, and holding lots of meetings, oh most critical stuff you know, they say. Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.”
Now, with Oxen, you have to choose a Right-handed to work with a Left-handed, but if you are very lucky, a certain animal can work happily on either side. The only problem is that the Yoke invariably needs to be chipped and shaped to suit, or discarded, as each side is crafted to suit a particular animal, so that they can pull easily and there are no pressure sores or chaffing injuries to cause the Oxen to be put out to pasture while it heals. Jesus has his side of the Yoke perfected for himself, and he offers to craft our side to be most comfortable with us. In Egypt, the Oxen were often attached to the plow by the swingletree being strapped to their horns, and they then pushed the plow or the cart forwards from their horns, down their strong neck, and then the power of their legs just powered and thrust the plow or cart along the planned course.
If you look at the latter days of Job, God blessed abundantly, and Job had 1000 Tractors (Yoke of Oxen) {Job 42:12} meaning Job could easily plow 40,000 Acres for cropping, and that is a mere 62.5 Square Miles. Just look at what can be achieved when a group works together on a common goal, team work, or in this case, being Yoked equally together, having harmony and compatibility in the pairing, Oh so much good can be achieved. We all see Marriages and Relationships, where there is a total “Mis-Match,” and the ongoing grief and disaster often spreads its invasive poison over many families and friends. Jesus is asking us to link up with him, accept his Yoke, and his one is easy and light, and there is a Saviour, Companion and Friend strapped onto the other side of the Yoke, to walk with you every step of the way, every day, and all the way.
Galatians 6:2 “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” In the olden days, if you saw a person, friend or foe, sagging under a sack of flour coming back home from the millers, you would be obliged to slide up beside him, firmly grasp him around his waist, pulling you both locked together, with the heavy load now shared by both of your shoulders, and so you chattered and fellowshipped all the way to his house. Bear ye one another’s burdens. Why not be “A Shoulder to Cry On?” Burdens can be physical, and they can be emotional, and we should Yoke up and bear their burden and assist them to a better place.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.” So who are you “Yoked” up with, does the yoke fit comfortably, are you yoked up with Jesus, and then how huge and enormous is the load that you are now so easily moving when teamed up with Jesus Christ? Why not put your “Best foot forward, and your shoulder to the Yoke,” forever partnered with Jesus?
